


To Know Friends

by Calesvol



Series: Naruto Events [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:22:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26239300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calesvol/pseuds/Calesvol
Summary: Sometimes, in a time when war is chipping away your generation, Sakumo needs to be reminded of who's left.
Relationships: Hatake Sakumo & Maito Dai | Might Duy, Hatake Sakumo & Maito Dai | Might Duy & Tsunade, Hatake Sakumo & Tsunade
Series: Naruto Events [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185356
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18
Collections: Sakumo Week 2020





	To Know Friends

Warning(s): G, none

* * *

Sometimes, he wondered how Maito Dui did it.

Many looked to the White Fang of Konoha as though he were the strongest of his generation outside of the Legendary Sannin, and maybe they were right. But, he looked at Dui and didn’t feel that way. The man was someone who kept himself afloat no matter what words damaged his reputation, always so willing to remain fastidiously happy and hopeful for his son despite how many people in their age group seemed to be picked off like flies.

Sakumo had taken pause at one of the training grounds where he was teaching little Gai how to properly handle a shuriken, the live steel glittering in the sunlight as he demonstrated correct throwing stances with a bright smile on his face. The boy watched him with total admiration, Sakumo unable to help a smirk of his own at how Gai gushed excitedly when Dui angled the trajectory just right and struck home with a muffled _thock_.

They were the same. A pair of widowers who lost their wives to the ongoing war that seemed to last into perpetuity. Sakumo had always wanted to befriend the man, but much as he tried, even in his days at Academy it seemed like Dui never felt like he could measure up. That he couldn’t until he earned a name for himself outside of ‘Eternal Genin’.

Sakumo sighed to himself and pushed off the trunk of the tree he’d leaned against, dappled shadows playing over his mildly troubled visage. Of course, that didn’t quite last when he saw a familiar head of blonde who canted her head and leaned near with a wily grin.

“Hey, Sakumo-san! You look so cool all alone like that. Mind if I join in?” Tsunade goaded with a sobered smile of her own, the Senju cocking a hip with a hand on it.

Sakumo couldn’t help a wry smile. “Ah, Tsunade-hime, you’d honor me. Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked with a friendly lilt, hands pocketed. She was someone he certainly considered his friend, especially after they’d both lost the people beloved to him. Maybe her even more so after she’d lost her parents and grandfather and granduncles to the many wars they had.

That, and she was a beautiful woman, but he kept that to himself. He knew what Tsunade did to unwanted advances, even if he’d never be as bold as Jiraiya.

“It’s nothing much really,” Tsunade admitted as she peered over his shoulder. “Huh. Isn’t that Maito-san and his son?” She blinked once and switched her gaze between them. “Hey, Maito-san! Can you come here for a minute?”

Dui visibly stiffened at her beckon, the man, slowly turning with a wide gape and furious blush. “T-Tsunade-h-hime, surely you don’t mean—“

“Yeah, I sure did! Sakumo-san and I were just talking about getting something to eat together and wondered if you and Gai-kun wanted to tag along.”

 _We did?_ Sakumo mouthed to her, earning a wicked smirk from the blonde. “Ah, so we did.” His renewal was spoken, doubled in beckoning the martial artist to them. Tsunade poked her tongue out at him once as Dui trotted up the hill, Gai in tow.

“I-It’s an honor to meet you, Tsunade-hime!” the boy bleated adorably, and Tsunade nearly burst with laughter. “Papa’s been teaching me how to throw shuriken, and he’s really good at it! He’s the best!”

“Yeah? Well, seeing as you and your father are both shuriken-throwing legends, why don’t you come out to eat with us? My treat! I need something to spend my money on other than gambling,” Tsunade joked as she looped her arms through Sakumo and Dui’s, the latter especially flustered as Gai took his father’s hand.

Sakumo couldn’t help himself as he grinned to himself, feeling light. Sometimes, it was nice to be able to slow down and now that he wasn’t completely alone all the time.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is for Sakumo Week 2020 Day 1: Friends.


End file.
